Safety Of Raw Milk Called Into Question

Raw milk's credibility as a consumer product may be undermined as the result of several health reports, news accounts and a recent court recommendation.

Some of the events involving the so-called health food that forgoes the pasteurization process include:

-- A warning in the Western Journal of Medicine that ''health care providers need to be alert to the potential of milk-borne disease, especially when raw milk or raw milk products are consumed.'' The article in the November issue of the publication also stated that although 95 percent of all milk consumed in this country is pasteurized, more than 95 percent of all milk- borne outbreaks are due to raw milk.

-- A Northern California newspaper reported that 17 children who visited a Tracy, Calif., dairy last month became ill after drinking raw milk during a class trip. Several of those who reported illnesses were diagnosed as having camphylobacter, a harmful bacteria linked to raw milk that causes severe diarrhea and other stomach disorders.

The raw milk developments come at a time when consumers are apparently aware of food safety issues, according to a nationwide poll published earlier this year by the Food Marketing Institute, a grocers' trade association.

The survey found that 73 percent of those queried considered the possibility of harmful residues in food to be a ''serious health hazard.'' Twenty-one percent believed that residues were ''something of a hazard,'' whereas 4 percent did not believe that residues presented a health threat and 2 percent were not sure, the food retailers' group reported.

The poll defined residues as being either pesticides or herbicides and did not directly take up the issue of bacterial contamination.

Even so, the poll did include a question pertaining to the highly publicized food contamination issues of the last year, such as the salmonella outbreak in Illinois and a listeria episode in Southern California. Those surveyed were asked whether they ''avoid buying certain foods because (they are) concerned about whether (the foods) are safe.'' Forty-six percent said that statement was ''very close'' to their beliefs while 24 percent said the statement was ''somewhat close.''